


From the Library of Enoshima Junko

by Wandering_River



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Action/Adventure, Akamatsu Kaede-centric, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Library, Background DICE (Dangan Ronpa), Bounty Hunter Harukawa Maki, Bounty Hunters, Dark Magic, Dead Enoshima Junko, Dimension Travel, Enoshima Junko Being Enoshima Junko, Eventual Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Eventual Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, F/F, F/M, Future Foundation (Dangan Ronpa), Genocide, Inspired by The Magnus Archives (Podcast), Librarians, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Monokuma (Dangan Ronpa) Being An Asshole, Mystery, Oma Kokichi Being Oma Kokichi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parental Kirigiri Kyoko, Phantom Thief Oma Kokichi, Post-War, Saihara Shuichi Needs a Hug, Saihara Shuichi-centric, Slow Burn, Sorcerer Enoshima Junko, Sorcerer Harukawa Maki, Sorcerer Kirigiri Kyoko, Sorcerer Saihara Shuichi, Sorcerers, let him rest pls, loosely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:36:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28517259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wandering_River/pseuds/Wandering_River
Summary: After coming across an enchanted songbook, Akamatsu Kaede is thrown head first into a world of magic, deceit, and overdue library books?!When the "Inclination of Sound" falls into her hands it brings a strange boy by the name of Saihara Shuichi along with it. Together they hop from dimension to dimension under the supervision of the Custodian: Monokuma, whilst recollecting the lost contents of The Library of Enoshima Junko.However, it seems something is lurking in the shadows just a step behind…
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede & Momota Kaito & Ouma Kokichi & Saihara Shuichi, Akamatsu Kaede & Momota Kaito & Saihara Shuichi, Akamatsu Kaede & Original Female Character(s), Akamatsu Kaede & Saihara Shuichi, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Kirigiri Kyoko & Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	From the Library of Enoshima Junko

**Author's Note:**

> its finally here!! so this is my BIG fic for this fandom. I'm really really really excited to post this. hopefully it comes out as all i hope it to be! feedback is appreciated, and um yeah! i hope you all like it. ^_^

The weather was supposed to be clear skies and sunshine all around. At least, that's what the news had reported earlier that morning. Clearly someone in the weather station had made a mistake because the buckets of rain that drenched the sidewalks begged to differ. Maybe it was just her luck running dry for the week, but that didn't mean Kaede was any more pleased with the situation that she found herself in.

She stood under the awning and watched as rain slid down the exposed side of the fabric, she hadn't brought an umbrella.

_ "Maybe this is a sign." _ She thought dryly. Gripping her bag's strap in both hands. She breathed out softly in an attempt to muster her positivity,  _ "No point in wallowing in could haves!” You have places to be and besides, it's not even thundering! A little water never hurt anyone!" _

So with that, the girl rushed forward and through the waterfall the awning had created. Despite being soaked pretty much instantly, Kaede pressed forward through the downpour; and if her fellow classmates gave her strange looks for running full barrel through puddles and mud, she certainly didn't pay them any mind. A few piano notes registered in her ear as she ran and a warm smile broke out on her face. 

_ "That must be Kaori." _

She stopped to hide under one of the trees planted in a fenced treewell in the sidewalk before fishing her phone out of her bag to check her messages. There was a message from her twin, with the address to the coffee shop that Kaori had been begging her to go to for a while now. Her sister had begun bugging her about the place around the end of last month and hadn't stopped in her harassment until Kaede had finally agreed to go with her the other day. Granted, she would have entertained the idea earlier but she had been busy with coursework and she was in the middle of composing a piano solo for her music class and she just… she was busy! So she hadn’t been able to find an available time slot until yesterday. 

Opening the message, she copy and pasted the address into the maps function on her phone and was pleasantly surprised to see that the place wasn't too terribly far from her campus, just a few blocks away. Perhaps fate was giving her a small win for dumping all this rain on her?

… Probably not. Fate wasn't that nice, usually. 

Almost as if it had heard her desperate cry for pity, fate struck again with a second message from Kaori stating she was going to be late. If humans could sense thoughts then people would have felt Kaede's mental sigh for miles.

After memorizing the route, Kaede tucked her phone back into her bag. Taking off at a run again, she maneuvered expertly through the crowded city and soon enough, she arrived at her destination with time to spare.

In another universe, Kaede would have gone straight to the coffee shop on a sunny day to meet her twin sister. The two would catch up while sipping on unholy concoctions of sugar that don't qualify as coffee and then she'd live her life like any other normal teen. This is not that universe. Fate is a strange thing and while most would think it was just a coincidence that the weather could change a girl's life forever, I can assure you,  _ it is not. _

Tucked in between two other buildings was a small rustic shop. It was inconspicuous. The only reason she even noticed it was because the door was bright yellow with a brass handle. The door was vibrant compared to the buildings that framed it and yet it was still easily dismissable.She slowed her pace, ducked under the awning and with a small jingle of the bell attached, she let herself in. 

To most, the inside would be just as dismissable as the outside of the building. Almost everything was wooden, from the floor boards to the instruments that lined the walls. To Kaede, however, it was like a tiny heaven. A small old woman manned the counter, her fingers were calloused and showed signs of playing the very same instrument Kaede played religiously. The woman smiled at her knowingly, possibly observing the same thing about the young lady who stood wide eyed before her. Kaede brushed a strand of damp blonde hair out of her face over which an easy smile spread in return as she moved to explore the shop.

"It's nice to see a fellow pianist. Though I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, what with that music school around the corner. Do you happen to go there, young lady?" 

Kaede stopped in her inspection of one of the violins the shop offered and turned to the older woman. "Oh, um, yes actually! I do!" She laughed a little out of nervousness. She hadn't exactly thought the woman would speak to her, but then felt silly for not expecting it. She internally shook her head and pushed down her awkwardness. "I had no idea there was a music store so close! A bit of a blessing in all honesty. Now I know where to go if I ever need something!" 

The woman let out a pleasant laugh in response and smiled at the young blonde's positivity. "Not many do, even with the school there. I always have just enough business to stay afloat. Though, I am happy to help any way I can. Which reminds me, is there anything in particular you are searching for, dear?"

"Ah, no, not really. I just happened to stumble in here…" Kaede's cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment. Her eyes darted off to the side and caught sight of a small library with three bookshelves set up to make a nook, which was tucked into a corner at the back of the store.The woman must have caught the direction of her gaze, because she turned away and looked to the back corner as well.

"Ah, yes. I have a small collection of songbooks and scores, as well as some records back there if you're interested. Perhaps something will catch your fancy? I do have quite a few pieces for the piano."

Kaede’s interest piqued, she walked quickly to the back corner. There, she carefully knelt down next to one of the containers that held some records and began leafing through them. All sense of time was lost as she quietly rifled through the back corner’s bins until familiar soft piano notes filtered through the air. 

_ "Ah! That's Kaori's notification!"  _ Kaede thought and she fumbled for a moment as she dug through her bag and produced her phone.

  
  


_ I'm almost there! Save a seat will you!  _

_ Sent 3:28PM _

  
  


Kaede typed a quick assurance before slipping her phone back into her bag and standing. She was about to turn and leave when she looked back at the songbook she had been about to pull out. It was for the piano; the cover was white with a score decorating the bottom of the book. The songbooks title was written in an elegant gold font which read  _ Inclination of Sound.  _ Placing the book on a shelf, she thought to herself _ “How strange... This book’s cover doesn't seem to have the author's name” _ .

_"I should go…"_ Kaede looked over at the songbook, still brimming with barely concealed curiosity _._ The _Inclination of Sound's_ cover looked back. She thought to herself _"Kaori can wait a second, right? Yeah she'll be fine."_ She returned to the shelf and grabbed the songbook from its place. It felt… right, in her hands, like she was always meant to have it. 

She moved over to the counter whilst flipping through it. There were pages and pages of sheet music for countless different songs she had never heard of before. The lucky find brought a warmth to her heart and anticipation to her fingers, which were already itching to play a piece. Satisfied with her bounty, Kaede set the songbook before the shopkeeper and asked for a price. In the wake of her invigorating find and smooth transaction, she stepped through the bright yellow door and back out onto the sidewalk with a small pep in her step that hadn’t been there before. 

○🎵○

Kaori came through the door of the coffee shop sopping wet. There was a mournful expression on her face and it took everything in Kaede not to burst into giggles at her twin's misery. Apparently it wasn't good enough because as soon as Kaori's gaze landed on her, her frown turned into a full on pout.

She laughed out loud, it wasn't her fault! She tried okay! Her sister was just too adorable; like a wet kitten after a bath!

"Laugh all you want, but just know that I'll get you back for it!"

Kaede's giggles tapered off as Kaori slumped in the seat opposite of her. Her twin smashed her face against the table in a sorry attempt to earn pity. It didn't work. Kaede poked her sister's head and just chuckled at her. There was no sympathy here.

"Come on, Kaori! Don't be so down! We finally got to hang out at the shop you wanted to; don't let the rain get to you. It's just water after all!"

"But my socks are wet, Kaede!" Kaori pitifully picked up her head and pouted up at her sister. "You know how awful that feels!" 

"Yes, yes, but you can't let a pair of wet socks control you.. Now take this!" Kaede pushed over a cup of coffee to her twin with a playful smile. "I picked one I think you'll like. Oh! We can even make a game out of it! You can order my drink since I haven't picked yet!" 

Kaori sat up fully in her seat, pulling the drink towards her and taking a sip. Her eyes flitted up to Kaede and she smiled around the straw. "Sounds fun, this is good by the way. Which one is it?"

"It's called the French Toast Latte."

"Huh…"

"Yeah."

Kaori flips over the small menu looking for a drink that her twin might like. As Kaede pulls out the songbook, running a hand over the cover before flipping it to look at the spine.

"No author there either…" she mumbles.

"What's that?"

Kaede looks up at her sister's questioning tone. Kaori gestures to the book in her hands whilst raising a pristine brow. 

"Oh, uh. There's a music store a bit further down the street. I stopped in while I was waiting for you. It's run by this sweet little old lady and she had a tiny library in the back. This is the songbook I bought from there." Kaede's smile grows wider as she talks about the shop, her words running together a bit as she gets more excited. "I totally would have gone right by it! It's really easy to miss. Luckily I wasn't in a rush or anything, I could have missed getting this! It's super neat! I think it might be someone's book of original pieces cause I've never heard of any of the songs in here. It's also a bit lucky they're all piano pieces so I can actually play them, but it was such a good find!" Suddenly she frowns in contemplation. "I can't find an author though. At least, not on the outside of the book. See?"

She hands the book over to her sister who pushes her drink away before taking the book. A soft frown marres her face as she turns the book in her hands. 

"Eeh? How weird."

"I know, you'd think they would be more diligent about that. Especially because the book seems so well made. It's honestly a shame; from what I've looked at so far the composer is very good!" 

Kaori's eyes flit to her and then the book again. She mouthed the title before carefully opening the cover page. Inside is a silver bookplate engraved with the same elegant writing as the cover text. Kaede watches as her sister's face scrunches and she blinks a few times before leaning in to properly read from the plate. 

"'From the Library of Enoshima Junko.' Enoshima Junko? Nay, Kaede, ever hear of that name before?"

Kaede purses her lips before reaching over the table to grab the songbook from Kaori. "No I haven't… I'll try looking them up later. Maybe they're a book collector?"

Kaori leans back in her chair before taking another sip of her latte. "Probably some collector of obscure and rare books. Though, gotta wonder how they lost one of their inventory." Her eyes sparkle and she giggles childishly much like Kaede had done earlier. "What a mystery we've stumbled upon! Next thing you know you'll have mysterious figures showing up asking for the book!" Kaori leans across the table and exaggeratedly sweeps her gaze across the café like she's trying to keep their conversation on the 'down low'. "Or maybe… to silence you!"

Laughing, Kaede pushes her sister's face away and rolls her eyes fondly. Kaori gives a little "ompf" as she hits the back of her own chair. She chuckles and then flags down a waitress to place an order for her sister's coffee. The two spend the rest of the evening in companionable chatter as they go over what they've been doing in the school year. Kaede talks about her trouble with coming up with the perfect piece for her music exam and Kaori shares her problems with an asshole teacher she has. The drink Kaori ended up getting for Kaede was some sort of sweet maple espresso concoction. She deadpanned at her sister for about five seconds before joining her in a giggle fest. They really did have the same sense of humor.

○🎵○

The next few days brought never ending assignments for Kaede. The pressure from the academy bearing down on her was more present than ever. While she appreciated the education she was getting, it was times like these that she often wondered why she tried. 

She was tired. She wanted more time to spend with her twin, more time with her family, time to actually make friends with other people, and most importantly time to herself. It felt like she was on a treadmill that kept speeding up and no matter what she couldn't quite match the pace. All she could really do was grin and pretend like she was keeping up, like she was fine. Her parents had put so much faith in her. Enough to save up so she could go to a school that specializes in music. She didn't want to disappoint them.

By the time she had caught up in her studies it was late Sunday evening. Kaede had sprawled out on her bed looking up at the ceiling and tracing imaginary pictures with her eyes. A light knock at the door sounded and when she didn't answer it the door tentatively opened a bit.

"Hey, Kaede… you okay?"

Kaori.

Kaede turned her head to the side to look up at her sister. She gave her a smile. It was fake.

"Yep! I'm a-okay!"

Kaori frowned but accepted the statement anyway. Closing the door behind her, Kaori took a moment to look over her sister's room. It was… a mess. Usually Kaede kept her stuff pretty organized, granted, she wasn't a saint so even if her room was organized it was still a bit cluttered. This wasn't that. This was the mess that comes with a frantic night of working on a group project that's almost due but none of the other members did any work and it's just you now.

"What, uh. What were you working on?"

Kaori swore her sister's exhale shaved ten years off her lifespan.

"Music exam." Kaede sighed. 

"Oh. Still?" Kaede just looked at her. "Right, sorry. I mean. I'm just surprised? Usually you're good at composing. What's changed?"

Kaede looked back up at the ceiling again. Her face showed sleepless nights in the form of dark circles under her eyes. Kaori moved to the foot of the bed and sat down. She placed a hand comfortingly on her twin's leg.

"I guess I'm just not motivated. Don't get me wrong, I still love music. It's just… I'm tired, Kaori. I feel like I can't catch a break. I'm going to burn out before I know it… maybe I already have."

Kaori watches as her sister places her forearm over her eyes to shield them and her heart breaks a little more. Looking away from her sister, she tries to come up with a way to cheer her up. Her mind is utterly blank and her heart feels heavy with the knowledge that she just doesn't know how to help her.

In a last ditch effort she looks around Kaede's room for an answer. A corner of a white book pokes out from under a pile of sheet music. Kaori stands from the bed and moves over to the paper ridden desk to retrieve the book. When she pulls it free from its prison it's like getting slapped in the face.

"Well, maybe you should change things up?"

Kaede peaks out at her twin from beneath her arm. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, instead of trying to come up with something new, maybe try learning something new instead?" Kaori turns around and flips the book in her hands so the cover faces Kaede. "You were really excited when you bought this, right? Maybe try playing something from here. Don't worry about making something new and just work on something  _ you _ want to do. Not for the school, but for yourself?"

The  _ Inclination of Sound  _ beckons her with silent promises and Kaede can feel just a little bit of life return to her. She smiles warmly up at her twin and the girl responds with one in kind. Sitting up she reaches for the book and takes it from her sister. Running a hand over the cover, she traces the gold kanji and lets out a small sigh. Kaori bustles around her room for a moment before returning to her side with Kaede's keyboard.

Kaede flips through the songbook until she comes across a melody that appeals to her state of mind. The sheet music titles the song as  [ _ "Lullaby" _ ](https://youtu.be/-H6CUWsOPXA) and she reads through it as Kaori fetches a music stand from her closet. Whispering a 'thank you' to her sister, Kaede props up the book on the stand. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Kaori go sit down on the chair at her desk.

The first few notes she plays are just to get a feel for the song. The song is slow, so it's easy to play and relaxing as well. Kaede can feel herself loosening up and becoming more overtaken by the piece.  _ "Lullaby,"  _ she thinks  _ "is a fitting name".  _ It's only when someone sobs loudly about halfway through does she come to her senses.

_ "Am I crying?"  _ Kaede blinks and it's like waking up from a haze.  _ "No I don't have any tears on my face… then who?"  _ Another sob comes across from her and when she looks up, she startles. It's Kaori. Kaori is crying and she looks so confused and hurt at the same time. Her twin is furiously trying to wipe her tears away while sobbing uncontrollably. Frantically, Kaede moves the music stand and pushes away her keyboard. Moving to her twins side she flutters her hands uselessly in a panic.

"Kaori?! What's wrong! Why are you crying?!"

Her sister gasps for breath and tries to calm down, but despite the girl's best efforts her breath seems to always come just a bit too quickly and short. It takes Kaede a good twenty minutes before her twin can even breathe properly without sobbing as she rubs calming circles into her back.

"Kaori?"

"Kaede…"

"You alright now?" The girl hesitantly nods and Kaede slowly removes her hand from her back. "What just happened?"

"I- I don't know… you. You were playing and I was fine, but then all the sudden I wasn't and-" Kaori's voice hitches like she's going to start crying again and Kaede quickly resumes rubbing circles into her twins back. "I just suddenly felt so sad, Kaede. But I know I'm not, I don't have anything to be sobbing about. I was fine! I don't know what happened."

"That's… okay, um." Kaede worries her nail as she glances around her room looking for a tissue box. She feels like everything in her stomach drops when she looks over at the songbook. The score on the page is gold and moving like water. She feels as if the pages themselves breathe and soak up the sadness of her sister's tears. She’s overwhelmed with the feeling that the songbook wants more.

"Kaede…?" 

The spell is broken with Kaori's words and suddenly Kaede is looking at a plain old songbook with a black score. That night she doesn't come down for dinner. Instead she buries the  _ Inclination of Sound  _ under a pile of sheet music and pretends she doesn't have the urge to play it's music to an audience.

  
  


Her dreams that night are strange. She sits at a white grand piano with golden keys. Her body bathed in black and ready for a funeral. A faceless audience sits at the edge of their seats. They await her to play. To pick the emotion they get to feel.

It does not make her sick to her stomach like she thought it would. Instead she feels validated. Needed. Irreplaceable. She feels like a goddess as she places her hands upon the keyboard. She begins to  [ play. ](https://youtu.be/wm-XPQ8od-c)

Lost in the  _ Inclination of Sound _ she sways to the song her hands play. The faceless audience writhes, twitching and hysteric. They laugh as feelings bubble up from pits of nothing. Euphoria; spreading like a disease and eating them from the inside out. They laugh and scream in agony as their brains melt and meld. Happiness to jealousy to unbridled rage and the audience sways to her music. Their music.

Her piano is red. The faceless audience stares up at her in admiration with wide empty smiles and clouded eyes. She bows before an audience that contorted and ravaged and bled. They clap for her.

It was a grand performance.

○🎵○

When Kaede awoke, she felt disharmonious. Everything ached and the world around her was a white hot blur. Later on in the morning, when her mother came to check on her, she'd affirm Kaede's silent theory that she had become sick. It was just a fever, but it was high enough to disorient her. With a sigh of defeat she accepted that she wasn't going to be able to go to school today; along with the anxiety that brought. She would have make-up work on top of her other assignments. Just her luck.

She was, however, able to convince her parents and twin that she would be fine alone in the house. After the chatter and movement died down in the Akamatsu household, Kaede sunk into her mattress and stared at the place she had buried the songbook. 

The images were still far too clear for her liking and the thought of what that song did to those people wouldn't leave her. An involuntary shudder worked through her as she remembered what her 'audience' did to one another. What if she had accidentally played that for Kaori instead of "Lullaby"?

Kaede blinked away tears at the thought.

Rolling onto her back, she started retracing the images she saw the evening prior on her ceiling. She thinks one kind of looked like a bear. It brings a sort of wry smile to her face. She doesn't really like bears all that much. Kaede closes her eyes and falls into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

It's around lunchtime when her fever fades away to nothing. She's able to make it down the stairs easy enough and fix herself a small breakfast, her stomach still feels uneasy with the revelations yesterday brought. 

As she brings the last bit of rice to her mouth; she ponders on what to do about the  _ Inclination of Sound.  _ Kaede supposes that she should head back to the shop and return it. Then again though, there's no promises that the old lady will let her return the book. An awful, but very large part of her wants to keep it. To treasure the gift she's been given; no, chosen to have. It makes her stomach roil but her hands twitch.

Reaching for the glass of water as her fingers tremble, they ache to play. She doesn't want to and grasps the cup with both hands to steady herself. The back of her mouth goes sour, she wants to read the music, she can see it in her head. The book lies hidden under the sheet music for Gymnopédie No.1. There's a craving at the base of her skull like an itch but not quite. Her fingertips tap out a rhythm on the glass. 

Kaede yearns to sway to their music again. 

And then she's up the stairs; in her room and standing before the sheets of paper that stand between her and  _ Inclination of Sound.  _ Kaede almost wants to cry because she doesn't remember leaving the dining room. Doesn't remember if she even set her glass down first. It's just her and the music. 

With careful hands she removes the sheet music on top of the songbook. A white cover with elegant gold waits for her beneath and her twitching fingers place themselves around the edges of the book.

And the fog disperses. 

Kaede is left in her room with the  _ Inclination of Sound  _ in her hands. The sour taste is gone from her throat. Her fingers have stilled. The book is pleased to be in the hands of it's new musician and Kaede… 

Kaede accepts her new role.

○🎵○

Kaede sits on her bed reading through the scores in the book. She takes note of the emotional response certain pieces might elicit and has started keeping a log of sorts on a spare piece of notebook paper. She stuffs said log in the songbook to act as a bookmark while she retrieves her phone from it's place on her nightstand. Kaori has sent her a slew of texts throughout the day.

_ Hey, just wanted to check how you were. Have you eaten yet? It's past lunchtime.  _

_ Sent 11:19AM _

_ Remember how we talked about looking up the person on the bookplate in your songbook? Thought they might have been a book collector, yeah? Well, turns out it's much more mysterious than that! _

_ Sent 11:20AM _

_ Have i kept you on your toes? Good. Cause this one’s a real doozy! Turns out there's no such person as "Enoshima Junko". I can't find one library or book collector that matches up at all! Zero. Nada. There isn't even any requests from forums specialized in that kinda thing from them. _

_ Sent 11:20AM _

_ BUT THATS NOT ALL!!! I also haven't been able to find jack shit on our songbook. :( its like it doesn't even exist. Talk about bad record keeping…  _

_ Sent 11:21AM _

_ Anyway, um. Let me know if you need anything. Ttyl K-♡ _

_ Sent 11:21AM _

Kaede softly smiles at her sister's liveliness before her gaze travels to the book in her lap.

_ "I guess it's fitting, huh? For you to have no record. Mysterious books aren't exactly easy to come by." _ She places her phone down and opens the book to look at the silver plate inside.  _ "Though… I do wonder what kind of person they were if they had a book like you." _

Perhaps she should go and visit that shop again. The woman ought to know more about the book than she did. Making up her mind, Kaede decides to get dressed. 

Shooting a quick text to her twin; she ran through her morning routine. She gathered together a simple outfit: a white t-shirt with a pink dress thrown over top, and laid them out on her bed before retreating to the shower. Afterwards she ran a comb through her hair and clipped in her music note barrettes. Barely twenty minutes had passed before Kaede was before the door;  _ Inclination of Sound  _ in hand and orange converse on her feet. 

The walk to the small music shop was longer this time around. Her home wasn't as close to the place as her school was, but the plus side was that it wasn't raining. Little victories.

As she approached the street with the coffee shop something stirred within her. Like a melody off by one small note. It was hardly noticeable, but when you did it screamed at you until you found the source. It felt like eyes were on her. Not just her though; _ "they're looking for my book." _

Kaede's throat closed up and she tucked her songbook against her chest. Her eyes dart amongst the people surrounding her. She almost skips right over them, but the  _ Inclination of Sound  _ steadies her. It knows that's the one.

She's not sure of their gender. Their face is obscured by a baseball cap and their figure offers no helpful insight. What she can determine, however, is that they hold onto a foldable touch screen phone. Its casing is split into two colors: the right side is black while the left is silver. There's a symbol in the center of the color split along with a phone charm hanging from the casing. From where she stands in the crowd she can't make out what it is but the charm sets her nerves on fire. 

Her steps hasten as she tries to lose the unknown person. A flash of yellow being her salvation. She darts towards the music shop's door and slips inside, shutting it firmly behind her. The eyes on her disappear as soon as it's shut and she can feel the tension drain from her body. Looking up she sees the old woman behind the counter, a knowing smile on her face. This time though, Kaede is beginning to believe the woman's smile is filled with a different kind of recognition. 

The woman's eyes flicker down to the songbook in her hands and her grin becomes all the wider. Instinctively, Kaede wraps her arms around the book tighter. The sight causes the woman's grin to even out to something less sharp and more warm. She hums.

"It's good to see it picked someone to its liking… and good to see someone choose it as well."

At her words Kaede straightens. "So you knew the book was… different."

The old woman chuckles: it's low, amused, and dark. "Of course. I was it's last owner after all. Though, I couldn't quite get it to like me as much as it seems to like you." 

Kaede looks down to the book in her hands and then up at the other woman. "Are you Enoshima then?"

At the inquiry the old woman blinks in surprise. The look quickly morphs to realization and then curiosity. She tilts her head. "No, I am not. I'm guessing you got that name from the plate inside?" At the blonde's nod the woman's eyes glaze over in thought before sharpening and boring into her. "I always found it fascinating how that book changes its writing to accommodate whomever is reading. Amusing how despite that fact, the library which it supposedly comes from is looked after by someone with a distinctly Japanese name. Ah, but enough of my ramblings. No, I am not the one who bears that name. Much like yourself I came across that book by happenstance." The woman clicks her nails along the counter top. She bares her teeth, pearly white and perfect. "You do have to wonder though… who on earth would collect a book like that."

It's a little odd. Kaede had asked herself that question not too long ago and didn't know the answer. Now though, Kaede knows. She knows and it makes her afraid. 

The jingle of a doorbell rings through the stale air in the music shop. A bright yellow door closes but it does not take away from the mounting pressure in the room. A figure stands behind her. They are obscured by a baseball cap. At their side they hold a foldable touchscreen phone. A bear charm dangles from its case.

Kaede never did like bears.

"You have something that doesn't belong to you." The voice is soft, feminine, but just masculine enough for her to assume the one that's come to take her songbook is a boy.

He stands in front of the bright yellow door, pools of silver peeking out from behind a brim. His face is pale like porcelain and for a moment Kaede entertains the idea of the boy before her being nothing but a doll. He is meek and unassuming, perhaps though, that's the perfect disguise. 

She does not fall for this trick. The bear charm sways in his grasp. Long lashes fold over one another as the boy sighs at the lack of response. The room is stifling. Her grip on  _ her  _ book tightens. He tucks away the phone into his jacket's pocket. The star on his hat catches light from outside the shop. 

Kaede makes a sprint for the door. Ducking passed him and slipping into yellow coated freedom. Despite her faster pace it seems he has more stamina and is not far behind. The two weave through the crowd in a dance of hide and seek. She is not as familiar with these streets but is positive she knows the people who walk them better. Kaede uses her home turf's advantage and manages to stay just out of the boy's grasp.

She hears a frustrated huff from behind her before he disappears from view. The coffee shop Kaori took her too is just ahead of her, slowing down and regaining her breath whilst keeping vigilant she slips inside. Kaede spends the next hour sipping maple and watching for the unknown boy. It is only when Kaori sends her a concerned text, that she realizes she needs to go home.

The sun is beginning to set behind the horizon. It's light bathing everything in a warm amber glow. She arrives on her street without any problems, not having seen the boy at all. The thought that he may have given up relieves the tension lacing through her shoulders.

Kaori jumps up from the steps of their home to greet her sister as she comes into view. Kaede's inner harmony is distorted as the  _ Inclination of Sound  _ is wrenched from her grasp. She is vaguely aware of the sound of shock that originates from her sister. Everything has tunneled around her and all Kaede can really see is the boy bathed in amber. 

Standing on the other side of the street; the boy holds the  _ Inclination of Sound  _ within gloved hands. His striped black and grey jacket flutters behind him in the gentle evening breeze. She watches in slow motion as he pulls that phone from his pocket.

"Monokuma," his voice quiet enough to almost not be heard. "I've retrieved the book. I'm ready to return to the library."

The word library echoes through her head before the fear of losing her songbook slams into her. In an act of pure desperation; she launches herself across the street, grappling onto the boy and her book.

"STOP! WAIT! YOU CAN'T, IT'S MINE!!!" The boy yelps in shock and stumbles from her sudden weight. She closes her eyes gripping onto him for dear life.

"Wait! what are you-?!" exclaims the boy.

Suddenly a high pitched voice cries out. "Pupupu! Why of course, my darling librarians!!" At this Kaede's eyes shoot open just in time to witness the boy's phone charm enlarge and become a three-foot tall plushie. The bear's gleaming red eye seems to look over at her and she can see it's smile widen in manic glee. "One trip to the Library of Enoshima Junko, coooooming riiight up!!!!"

With that the wind picked up in a powerful vortex, blowing her hair in all directions and causing the boy to grab a hold of his hat. She hears him curse lowly and feels a jolt of surprise when he looks over at her with alarm and concern.

"KAEDE!!!" Kaori's scream cuts over the swirling wind and the last thing Kaede sees before the world turns white is the wide panicked eyes of her twin.

○🎵○

When she awakes, it's to a quiet argument. Their voices are muffled like her head is underwater, but she can tell someone is pacing back and forth not far from where she's been laid out. There's a nausea that's settled in her stomach and she groans in discomfort as she attempts to sit up.

Satin clad hands make contact with her shoulders and gently push her back into a resting position. When she forces herself to peel her eyes open, she's met with a familiar brim and silver eyes. However unlike before; instead of reluctant determination, she's met with a mix of concern and anxiety.

"Hey… um. How are you feeling?" She's suddenly eternally grateful that the boy seems to have a naturally soft voice because her body decided she needed a migraine pronto. 

"Dizzy. And my head hurts. So, not all that great." She laughs dryly and watches as the boy's eyes go wide. He worries his bottom lip for a moment before wandering off. In the vacant slot the boy has left…  _ something else _ takes up residence. 

Akamatsu Kaede stares up at a duel colored bear. Its red eye gleams in the light and its shit eating grin makes her both want to punch something and be extremely wary. It holds her songbook in its paws.

"Pupupu, I do believe this belongs to you!" It holds out the  _ Inclination of Sound  _ to her. She glances at the bear and then her book and back again before hastily snatching it from the thing's grasp. It let's out its stupid laugh again and she cringes away. 

It's honestly a relief when the boy comes back. He hands her a glass of water and some pain killers before retreating to stand not quite next to the bear but close enough. He glances at the thing warily and pulls at the fingers of his glove.

"What… exactly are you playing at? I thought others couldn't come through the portal?" She watches as he presses his mouth into a thin line and his eyes cloud with suspicion. The bear thing just hums and tilts its head in an attempt to appear 'cute'. The boy's nose scrunches up. It definitely didn't work.

"What do ya mean? Of course they can't come through, only librarians can. That's part of the rules, didn't I tell you that already?" The bear shakes its head in a patronizing manner and the boy lets out a frustrated huff.

"No, yes. I mean, yes you said that. But  _ she, _ " the boy points accusingly at Kaede who's set her water glass down on the floor after taking the offered meds. "is not a Librarian!"

"Eh? Really? She isn't? Are you sure~" 

This freezes the boy in place. Slowly he lowers his hand and regards the bear with shock etched into his very muscles. "...What?"

"Pupupu, you know as well as I do that the Library is the one who usually picks its Librarians!" Those eyes are suddenly on her again and it takes everything in her not to shiver. "What I'm saying, kid, is meet your new partner! Colleagues ought to stick together after all~"

Kaede's mind is a whirlwind of thoughts and confusion. Luckily though it seems she isn't the only one. She watches as the boy takes a seat on a stack of books and cradles his head in his hands.

"Well then! Time for introductions!" The bear saddles up to the couch she's been deposited on and does an exaggerated bow. "Name's Monokuma! Nice ta meet cha!" The thing straightens and she swears the red eye glows in the lighting of the library. "And you're Akamatsu Kaede, our newest Librarian~"

"Wait, I didn't agree to-"

"Nope! No buts! You don't seem to realize you don't  _ get _ a choice.  _ You  _ passed that up the moment you got your grubby little hands on one of our books!" It bares its claws at her and suddenly it's like all the air she had in her lungs is gone. She flounders, wide eyed, at this bear before her and it just grins back at her maliciously. "Aaannny who- Welcome to your new home! The Library of Enoshima Junko! I am your lovely Custodian~ and that shy detective over there is your new coworker! Do play nice with him, we have such a nice set of terms, it'd be a shame if you bullied him out of the workplace." The thing fake cries for a moment before bouncing back to its default mode. "Anywho, you kids have fun! I'm going to find your next job!"

And with that the thing vanishes. Unconsciously, Kaede runs her hands along the kanji that decorates the  _ Inclination of Sound.  _ It brings her back into herself and grounds her. She can hardly believe this is all real. Everything is moving so fast.

Light footsteps tread over to her and the boy stoops to grab her glass from the floor. He holds it in both hands, his fingers fidgeting with it anxiously. He looks down towards the ground so his hat covers his eyes. Distractedly, she thinks that this is unfortunate. He has nice eyes.

"Sorry, about all this. I just wanted to retrieve the book from you and now you're all wrapped up in this."

She blinks slowly. "It… isn't your fault. You were just doing your job. I'm the one that grabbed onto you."

The boy hums in a noncommittal way and she knows he doesn't believe her words. She'll just have to work on getting him to believe them then. "You know, in a way this is kinda my first job. You think I could put this on my resume later?"

That gets the boy to look at her. He's got an eyebrow raised in disbelief and the rest of his face is bemused. He blinks and then a quiet awkward chuckle makes its way out of him.

Kaede takes it as a win.

"My name's Akamatsu Kaede!" She grins up at him. "I look forward to working with you!"

The boy makes a small 'o' with his mouth before it evens out into a small, albeit shakey, smile.

"I'm Saihara Shuichi." He bows politely towards her seated position. "Please take care of me."

And for once since this whole thing started; Kaede thinks things are gonna be okay.


End file.
